Osman Ali Khan

Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (6 April 1886-24 February 1967) was the Nizam of Hyderabad State from 1911 to 1948, succeeding Mahbub Ali Khan. He was the last ruler of an independent Hyderabad before its 1948 annexation by India during Operation Polo.

Biography
Osman Ali Khan was born in Purani Haveli, Hyderabad State, British India on 6 April 1886, the son of Mahbub Ali Khan. He became the new Nizam of Hyderabad on his father's death in 1911, and he ruled over a princely state roughly the size of the United Kingdom. Osman ruled Hyderabad as an absolute monarch, and he was seen as a benevolent ruler who patronized education, science, and development, introducing railways, roads, and airports. In 1941, he started the Hyderabad State Bank, the state's central bank; it existed until it merged with the State Bank of India in 2017. In 1937, he was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine after being described as the world's wealthiest man, having $34.2 billion; 97% of his wealth would be taken away by the Indian government after the annexation. After the Partition of India in 1947, the Nizam sought to maintain Hyderabadi independence as a part of the Commonwealth of Nations rather than join India or Pakistan, and he cited the militant Razakars as proof that Hyderabadis did not want to join India. However, the Nizam was unable to crush a communist uprising in Telangana, and his Razakars were unable to quell the pro-India Hindu majority of the country. From 13 to 18 September 1948, in Operation Polo, the Indian Army invaded and occupied Hyderabad, deposing Osman. He died in King Kothi Palace in Hyderabad in 1967 at the age of 80.